Why ping-pong?

[Robert Goodman]

I didn't get an answer crossposting to rec.sport.rugby.union, so I'll try here.

"Bob" wrote in message


news:892ea40d-be03-4b3a-90d8-a4f0c5ce88e5@u20g2000vbq.googlegroups.com...
On Dec 1, 5:08 pm, "Chris" wrote:


> "Peter Ward" wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > I've been watching some of the rugby internationals on the Iplayer. Can
> > you say why the kicking game is so much more popular than I recall from
> > back in the '90s. A game often degenerates into ping-pong for a while,
> > and it is quite annoying how often it does so. I can't work out why it
> > happens so much now, but didn't back then.
> There was a rule change involving the rucking that made penalties much
> easier to give away. So now we suffer ping pong. The rule is apparently
> going to be repealed for next season.


Do you know what specifically the change was? Are you saying they
adopted something that makes it more likely that the side going into
the ruck WITH the ball would wind up penalized? Some amendment
regarding obstruction, maybe?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

No, I don't know what the change was.
Yes, apparently so.
No idea, but it seems that a lot of penalties have been given at rucks.


I half heard a radio conversation between two commentators just before one
of the matches held last weekend.


Chris

[Robert Goodman]

I'm bumping the thread just so nobody thinks all there is here is spam. Want cheap shoes? Look elsewhere.

[bellnier]

Hi Bob. What a confusing post! Are you talking about an increase in tactical kicking in open play? Or an increase in penalty kicks as a result of some 'new' law as suggested in the second half of your post? I don't recall any ELV specific to rucking that would increase penalty calls...not that there needs to be. My general impression is that more penalties come from rucks than any other phase...hands in, diving, not binding, offsides, etc, etc. As for ping-pong...I'm not seeing an increase, in general, at the local level here. Hmmm.

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by bellnier

Hi Bob. What a confusing post! Are you talking about an increase in tactical kicking in open play? Or an increase in penalty kicks as a result of some 'new' law as suggested in the second half of your post? I don't recall any ELV specific to rucking that would increase penalty calls...not that there needs to be. My general impression is that more penalties come from rucks than any other phase...hands in, diving, not binding, offsides, etc, etc. As for ping-pong...I'm not seeing an increase, in general, at the local level here. Hmmm.

If you haven't seen an increase in non-tactical kicking since the period in the 1990s the poster from alt.fan.cecil-adams wrote of, then you can't be of use answering the question.

To clarify what I asked in this thread, let's suppose there was an increase in non-tactical kicking, i.e. "ping pong" as teams unartfully dump the ball down into the other end, and that the trend was the result of some laws change, as rumored (from someone's recollection of an on-air sports commentor) on alt.fan.cecil-admas. My question then is, what was the law change that resulted in the tactical change? It would seem most likely that some change at rucks that would have decreased the chances of retaining possession for another phase would increase the tendency to kick the hot potato away.

[bellnier]

Maybe this will help...

Ruck and ruin: IRB agree to review breakdown law after boring autumn Tests | Mail Online

[Robert Goodman]

Thanks, but that leaves me no more informed than the article I'd been led to from the original discussion in Usenet. This one said:

Since the world governing body amended the laws at the ruck to allow defensive players more ability to contest possession,

and just assumes readers know what those amendments were, or don't care about the details. What were those amendments?

Of course these things are matters of taste & degree. For all I know, the "aerial ping pong" referred to may be no more than a return to the style of game of >15 yrs. ago, as it had been for a long time previous. Most of the change hadn't been a result of laws changes, but regulation by raised eyebrow from Twickenham regarding how much unwritten leeway to give to whom after a tackle. They went nuts for a couple of seasons in the middle 1990s by letting the tackled player get away with murder getting rid of the ball, then throttled it back a bit.

However, I do think they went wrong a few years ago when they did amend the laws by restricting play after a tackle. They took away much of the incentive to form a proper ruck and to hustle with or without the ball in the vicinity of the tackle.